Delbarton School

History

In the 1880s, Luther Kountze established an estate in northern New Jersey. He began to buy more land, eventually expanding his estate to cover 4,000 acres (1,600 ha). This eventually became the home of St. Mary’s Abbey/Delbarton, Morristown National Historical Park and Lewis Morris County Park. Kountze eventually named the estate "Delbarton," borrowing one syllable from the names of each of his first three children (DELancey, BARclay and LivingsTON).

In 1918, Kountze died, leaving the entire property to his family. The family decided to put the estate for sale. In 1925, the monks of Saint Mary’s Abbey, then in Newark, purchased approximately four hundred acres of Delbarton to use as a separate house for younger members for studying, finally settling on the property in 1927.

After some time, the monks decided to open a secondary school, as the Newark residence had done so with Saint Benedict's Preparatory School. After some deliberation, Abbot Patrick O’Brien opened Delbarton School in 1939, appointing Father Augustine Wirth as the first headmaster. At that time, the school was a boarding school for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students.

In 1942, Father Stephen Findlay succeeded as Headmaster and introduced drastic changes. The grade levels were modified, ultimately resulting in seventh through twelfth grades being offered. The Kountze carriage house was destroyed in a fire in 1947, leading to the construction of the St. Joseph Gymnasium. Because of the fire, the school chose as its motto, "Succisa Virescit" (having been cut down, she grows back stronger), borrowing from the often destroyed Abbey of Monte Cassino in Italy. Trinity Hall opened in 1959, allowing the enrollment to increase to over 300. Father Stephen retired in 1967 to the position of Director of Development. In 1971 the Schmeil-O’Brien Hall dormitory was dedicated, although the majority of students were day students.

Delbarton’s fourth headmaster, Father Gerard Lair (1975–1980), initiated more changes. The system of discipline from demerits and detention changed to a conversational program designed to bring about positive changes. As the academic prestige of the School grew, the Board of Trustees decided to terminate the residential program in 1978. The last two resident students graduated in 1983.

Since then, more facilities have been built, with the dedication of the Lynch Athletic Center in 1983, Findlay Science Pavilion in 1995, and Fine Arts Center in 2006.

In 2012, various media outlets reported news of sexual misconduct by several monks from Saint Mary's Abbey who also worked at Delbarton School. Six former students accused several monks of sexual abuse in the 1970s and 1980s.

International focus

Delbarton has made many efforts to open up the student body to the international community. Over the past few years many respectable speakers have spoken to the student body including Dith Pran and Lech Wałęsa.

Delbarton students also have several opportunities to travel abroad. The school participates in foreign exchange programs with schools in Ireland, particularly sister school Glenstal Abbey School in County Limerick, and the Bildungszentrum Markdorf School in Markdorf, Germany. Juniors can travel to the Caribbean during the summer between their junior and senior year to learn about the culture and history of select islands through the school's SOL program. Students also have the opportunity to experience eco-tourism first hand in Costa Rica. Students have visited nature reserves, Arenal Volcano, Poás Volcano National Park and Monteverde while studying at the CPI language school in Heredia, Costa Rica. Delbarton students have also traveled to Spain on several organized summer trips and to Germany for World Youth Day with the school's religious educator David Hajduk. The school has also sent several students to help assist in Operation Smile Missions in China, Honduras, and Thailand. The most recent established trip overseas was a mission trip to Nairobi, Kenya, and Hanga, Tanzania, where students donated money and aid to several schools. The school's various musical ensembles also travel to foreign countries to tour and perform.

Students participate in the school’s Model United Nations and Challenge 20/20 clubs. The Model United Nations club participates in four to five Model UN Conferences every year and has attained much success, winning the Best Small Delegation Award at Princeton’s 2005 conference, the 2007 Seton Hall University conference, and 2009 WAMUNC. The club also participated in The Hague International Model United Nations, held in the Netherlands from 2006 to 2008.

Academics

Delbarton operates an 8:15 a.m. to 2:34 p.m. schedule, including six class periods and lunch. The schedule is a six-day rotating block schedule ("A day" through "F day") with one class dropping out of the schedule each of the six days. The blocks are named each school year in keeping with the year's academic theme, which honors figures of heroism, social justice, promoters of worldwide peace, or historically important people. All students have a thirty-minute free period ("M block") from 10 to 10:35 AM. Teachers, guidance, and college counseling are available during M block and after school for extra assistance as needed. Although the school day ends at 2:35 PM, the first buses do not leave campus until 4:00 PM, which encourages students to pursue extracurricular activities, work with faculty on homework and special projects, and volunteer on one of the many community service projects the school sponsors. Late bus service is also offered at 6:00 PM.

Delbarton offers 24 Advanced Placement courses. In 2009, 107 Delbarton students qualified as AP scholars, with 16 students qualifying for the National AP Scholar Award, 37 qualifying for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award, 26 qualifying for the AP Scholar with Honor Award, and 34 students qualifying for the AP Scholar Award. Delbarton does not offer any courses designated explicitly as "honors" because even classes not designated as "AP" are taught well beyond the traditional high school level. For example, students may take mathematics classes up to 3 years ahead of the nation-wide standard (Algebra 1 in freshman year, etc). Advanced math courses such as Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, and AP Statistics are offered, as are independent study options. Language and literature courses are also offered in several languages.

With few exceptions, nearly all graduates continue on to four-year colleges or universities. Delbarton students are recognized for their academic achievements. In 2010, there were two National Merit Scholarships, three finalists, and 13 commended students. Eleven students were named Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholars.

Athletics

The Delbarton Green Wave competes in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Before the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had competed in the Northern Hills Conference an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools located in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties.

Fall

Delbarton offers cross country, football and soccer as sports in the Fall season.

Football

Delbarton's football program has won state football championships in 1993 and in 1998. The team won the Group III Parochial title in 1993 with a 24-23 victory over Saint Joseph Regional High School. The team won the 1998 title with a 21-3 victory over Immaculata High School. Delbarton has also finished second in the state sectional finals in 1988, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012 and 2014.

From 1946 to 1987 Delbarton was coached by William Regan Sr., who compiled a 236-83-10 record with 33 winning seasons and 7 undefeated seasons.

From 1987 to 2002, Delbarton was coached by John Kowalik whose tenure included state titles in 1993 and 1998, state tournament playoff losses in 1997, 1999, and 2001 by fewer than six points in each game and five consecutive Northern Hills Conference championships for 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001, finishing his career with a record of 138-29.

Since 2003, the coach has been Brian Bowers. During this time period, the team transitioned to the Iron Hills Conference in 2009 as a result of both playing schools at their size and level of competition compared to the NHC. Delbarton won their first IHC championship in 2011.

Soccer

Delbarton has won six Morris County soccer championships and seven New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association ("NJSIAA") championships since 1995 under former all-American David Donovan. In 1997, under interim head coach Erin Sullivan, Delbarton won a triple crown - winning the Northern Hills Conference, Morris County Tournament and NJSIAA Parochial A state tournament. Again in 2003 and 2004, Delbarton won the triple crown, finishing second in The Star-Ledger state rankings in 2003 and first in 2004. In 2003, the team beat Saint Benedict's Preparatory School of Newark, New Jersey, which was the number one team in the country and had not lost to a New Jersey team in 12 years. In 2007, Delbarton's soccer team made it to the North Jersey Non-Public A final and had achieved a No. 4 ranking in the nation but lost by a 3-2 score to Seton Hall Preparatory School. Delbarton also earned a #2 ranking in the Non-Public A soccer group for the 2008 soccer season. The 2011 Delbarton soccer team won the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference ("NJAC") regular season title as well as the NJSIAA Non-Public A North sectional championship and was ranked as high as #2 in the state. The 2012 squad was undefeated/untied in winning the NJAC and also won both the inaugural Delbarton Invitational Tournament and the NJSIAA Non-Public A state championship, the latter with a thrilling 1-0 victory over the Pingry School on a last-minute goal. With a 23-1 record and the school's ninth state championship, Delbarton finished first in the final Star-Ledger state rankings for the second time in Green Wave history and was Top Twenty in all national rankings publications including the NSCAA (#16) and Elite Soccer Report (#6). Matt Clausen (MSG Varsity NJ POY) and Greg Siefert (NSCAA Regional All-American) were both 2012 Star-Ledger first team All-State selections. The 2013 edition of Delbarton soccer followed the success of its predecessor with some historic feats of its own. While the 2012 side bludgeoned opponents with offense (scoring over 90 goals), the 2013 team suffocated its competition with defense, allowing only three goals all year and stamping its 22-1-1 record with 22 shutouts, including 18 in a row to close the season. Along the way, the Wave won the triple crown of conference, county and state championships and earned Delbarton both a second consecutive Star-Ledger #1 state ranking as well as a national ranking by the NSCAA (#24). The Star-Ledger named Coach Donovan its NJ Coach of the Year and Mike Moshier (NSCAA Regional All-American) a first-team All-State selection. In 2014, Delbarton once again took home the Non-Public A state championship, its third in a row, with a 3-0 win in the tournament final against Notre Dame High School.

Cross country

Delbarton has had great success with its cross country team. It competes in the NJAC in Non-Public A. Delbarton's Patrick Shellberg (2010) and Morgan Pearson (2011) were the most successful cross country athletes in Delbarton's recent history. Each competed and won in their separate events at Penn Relays, Pearson in the high school 3000m in 2011 and Shellberg in the high school mile in 2010.

Winter

In the winter, Delbarton offers three major sports (sports with three separate team levels): Basketball, Ice Hockey, and Wrestling. In addition, five minor sports (sports with two or fewer levels of competition) compete under the Green Wave: Bowling, Indoor Track, Squash, Ski Team, and Swimming.

Basketball

Delbarton won the Morris County Tournament in 1989, 1990, 1992, 2003 and 2006. Delbarton placed second in the same tournament in 2007 and 2008.

Delbarton won the State Prep Basketball Championship in 1968 under coach Bernie Brennan.

Ice hockey

Delbarton won outright state championships in 1992, 2002, 2006, 2008-2013, 2016, and was the state co-champion in 1989. Delbarton won Morris County's Mennen Cup championship 18 times over a 21-year span from 1984-2004. The hockey program then left the Morris County league to compete in the state's top league, the Gordon Conference, beginning with the 2004-05 school year. The team won the Gordon Cup championship in its first season.

Delbarton's chief rival is Seton Hall Prep. At the height of the teams' rivalry, regular-season games between the two regularly drew more than 1,000 fans, and a regular season game in 2000 filled all 2,500 seats at the Mennen Arena. In 2006, Delbarton defeated previously undefeated Seton Hall Prep to win the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) non-public state championship.

Delbarton won the state championship in 2008 by defeating St. Augustine Prep 5-1. It was Delbarton's fourth outright state championship and fifth overall, and the Green Wave set a state record with 27 wins, finishing the season 27-1-1. In 2009, Delbarton repeated with another 27-win season that included victories over Massachusetts state champion Catholic Memorial, Hotchkiss (CT), and Christian Brothers Academy in the state final. Delbarton finished the season ranked No. 1 in the Northeast by Hockey Night in Boston.

Beginning in 2008, Delbarton won six straight NJSIAA Non-Public State Titles: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2013, Delbarton defeated Don Bosco Preparatory High School 4-0 at the Prudential Center in Newark in the Non-Public State Final.

On February 1, 2014, as part of the NHL Stadium Series, Delbarton defeated Catholic Memorial School 3-0 in an outdoor game held at Yankee Stadium.

Delbarton plays its home games at the Aspen Ice Arena in Randolph, New Jersey following years of early morning winter practices at the outdoor Essex Hunt Club (Peapack) and the more local (and enclosed) Mennen Arena in Morristown.

Wrestling

In 2002, Antonio Mangione captured the first individual state championship in school history (he later went on to win the state tournament a second time). In 2006, Delbarton's Mike Grey became the first four-time New Jersey state champion in the sport of wrestling. In 2006 and 2007, Delbarton's Frank Perrelli and Trevor Melde respectively won state championships, extending Delbarton's championship run to a total of six years and eight individual state titles. In 2008, Delbarton won its first Northern Hills Conference Championship in wrestling. In 2009, Delbarton wrestling won the Morris County tournament for the second time in school history, the Northern Hills Conference, and the District IX tournament. That year, they also finished 20th in the state with an 18-2 record. In 2011, Delbarton won its first North Non-Public A sectional championship by defeating Bergen Catholic High School and took the state Group Non-Public A championship by defeating Bishop Ahr High School to finish the season with a 13-1 record and was ranked 5th in the state. In 2013, led by Coaches Bryan Stoll and Guy Russo the Delbarton wrestling team captured its fifth consecutive Morris County tournament title, crowning four individual titles.

Swimming

Under the direction of Kent Manno, Delbarton won the Morris County Championship 10 straight years, from 1983 to 1993.

In 2009, Delbarton captured its 7th straight Northern Hills Conference title. Also in 2009, Delbarton placed third in Division A of the NJSIAA Prep state championships and fourth at the Morris County Championships.

In 2016, Delbarton entered the NJ.com Top 20 swimming rankings at No. 17 after an upset victory over 12th-ranked St. Peter's Preparatory School. The 2015-16 team sent seven swimmers to the NJSIAA Meet of Champions.

Indoor track

In 2009, Delbarton tied for third overall at the NHC Championships, behind West Orange and Passaic Tech. Delbarton also sent relay teams to the Nike Indoor Nationals in 2009 in both distance and sprinting events. On January 29, 2010, Pat Schellberg won the boys' mile at the 103rd Millrose Games with a time of 4:14.84.

Squash

Delbarton has Junior Varsity and Varsity squash teams, which compete with other schools in the Tri-State area. The Varsity team also competes in certain national events, such as the National High School Championships at Yale University. In 2011 Delbarton won the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships for Division V with a 4-3 win in the tournament final against St. George's School, Newport.

Ski team

The 2010-11 winter season saw the introduction of a Ski Team. The Ski Team races against eighteen other public and private high schools mostly from northwest NJ. The Ski Team trains, races and competes at Mountain Creek in Vernon Township, New Jersey. In its inaugural year the team finished third of eight in the Freedom League, made the team state finals, and finished ninth in the state. After only one season with competitive racers, though, the team finished the unseasonably warm 2011-2012 season ranked third in the league and fourth overall in the state. In the 2013-2014 season, Delbarton's Ski Team was ranked number one in New Jersey. They won their first state championship and finished first in the Freedom League.

Spring

During the Spring season, Baseball, Lacrosse, Tennis, Golf and Track & Field are the sports offered to the students.

Baseball

Brian Fleury was Director of Athletics, head varsity baseball coach, and an English teacher at Delbarton. In his ten years as Delbarton's head baseball coach, his teams compiled a record of 223-63 and won nine Northern Hills Conference championships plus NJSIAA state championships in 2002 and 2006, before his death in October 2007.

Lacrosse

Under the guidance of 1979 alumnus Chuck Ruebling, Delbarton has had one of the best lacrosse team in New Jersey from 1999-2006, having won five straight Tournament of Champions titles in the years 2002-06 and seven out of eight years, and won the 2014 Tournament of Champions, defeating Summit High School in the tournament final. The four Tournament of Champion wins (starting in 2004), the 12 group titles and eight consecutive group titles from 2002 to 2009 are all the most of any team in the state. They lost in the Tournament of Champions in 2009 to Summit High School by a score of 8-4. The 2009 championship broke a tie with Montclair and Mountain Lakes for the most championships, and as of 2010 the team is tied with Mountain Lakes at 10 with the most group titles. In 2007, the Delbarton lacrosse team was ranked fifth in the nation by STX/Inside Lacrosse. Delbarton's lacrosse team was ranked fifth in the nation in 2007 by the LaxPower.com National High School Coaches Poll. The 2007 team won the Non-Public A state championship with a 14-5 win over Christian Brothers Academy. Delbarton returned to the top of New Jersey lacrosse after eight years in 2014, capturing its fourth TOC state title over Summit High School by a final score of 7-5.

Tennis

Delbarton's tennis program has won nine of the last ten Morris County Tournaments and six consecutive state group titles, finishing second in the state in 2006. The 2006 tennis team won the 2006 Group A state championship with a 5-0 win over St. Augustine College Preparatory School.

The tennis team won the 2007 Non-Public, North A state sectional championship with a 3-2 win over Pingry School.

In 2008, the tennis team won the Non-Public, North A state sectional championship with a 4-1 win over Pingry School. It went on to defeat Westfield High School, 3-2, to win its first ever Tournament of Champions title.

Golf

Delbarton's golf program is consistently one of the top-ranked squads in Morris County. Calling both Morris County Golf Club and Somerset Hills Country Club home, the Green Wave have excelled in recent years under the leadership of Coach Sean Flanagan. In 2000 and 2001, Delbarton won back to back state titles. In 2010, the Green Wave ended the season with a 17-0 record, having won the North Jersey, Non-Public A section, as well as the Non-Public Group A, Morris County Tournament, the Northwest Jersey Conference Tournament and the conference crown. The team ranked second in the state. The current coach of the team is Mr. Sean Flanagan, the Star-Ledger's 2010 Coach of the Year.

Track

On April 23, 2010, at the 116th Penn Relays, Pat Schellberg won the high school boys' one mile (1.6 km) run championship and broke the track meet's event record. His time of 4:08.13 was also the fastest recorded mile run by any boy in the U.S. that year (2010). The following year, Morgan Pearson won the boys' 3,000 meter run in the Penn Relays with a time of 8:22. Dean Sullivan won the boys' javelin throw at New Balance Outdoor Nationals in 2011 with a throw of 217 feet 9 inches.

Rugby club

Delbarton is also one of the few schools in the area with a Rugby Club.

In 2010, Coach Tom Feury, founder of Morris Youth Rugby, and Coach Bob Karetsky, who coached Harvard Rugby for several years, led Delbarton's Rugby Club to a 13-1 record in the Green Wave club's second season. The team's only loss was to Morris Rugby, a team that was founded in 1977 composed of several players with more than four years experience. In the team's 11-0 dual schedule (one forfeit), the offense scored 402 points, and the defense only let up 60. The Delbarton Rugby Club won New Jersey's inaugural rugby state championship title, defeating St. Peter's Preparatory School by a score of 43-3 in May 2012.

The club went undefeated throughout the 2015 season, outscoring its opponents 246-32, and defeating St. Augustine Preparatory School by a score of 33-21 in the single-school State Championship. The team, which had multiple players nominated to the New Jersey All-State team, was also later ranked 42nd in the nation.

Arts programs

Delbarton's Abbey Players produce three theatrical productions yearly: a fall play, a winter musical and a spring 'One Act' production featuring student written and directed plays. The productions attract participants from neighboring schools.

Delbarton has a range of instrumental ensembles, including a Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Abbey Orchestra, and Percussion Ensemble.

There are several a cappella and vocal ensembles. The group Schola Cantorum, commonly referred to as 'Schola,' is Delbarton's flagship chorus and features about 40 Delbarton students of all grades. Schola was founded by Dr. Roy Horton. The group performs all year in school concerts and at school masses. Schola Cantorum has performed across the United States and Europe. During the Summer of 2007 the Delbarton Schola Cantorum performed throughout Italy and in a Vatican mass service. Schola has also toured England, Ireland, and Scotland. The Benedictones is an a cappella group focusing primarily on pop classics and barbershop songs and is led by Mr. David Blazier, who inspired the group's formation in 2005. Gothicappella is led by Rev. Carol Horton and focuses primarily on music written before 1500. Gothicappella selections include plainsong and Gregorian chant, as well as other lesser-known songs.

On October 19, 2006, Delbarton officially opened its brand new Fine Arts Center. The arts and music departments were formerly housed in the school's historic "Old Main" building. The new 36,000 sq ft (3,300 m²) building includes a 622-person theater, several art studios, and rehearsal spaces for Delbarton’s many musical groups. The school broke ground on the site during the Summer of 2005 and ended construction in the Fall of 2006. It represents a capital investment of more than $20 million USD. After-school music lessons (voice lessons, various instruments) are also offered in the facility.

The Abbey Church also houses a pipe organ which was rebuilt in 2012. The space is known for its acoustic qualities.

Abbey Woods

After a six-year battle between state officials and the Monks at Delbarton School, as well as $2 million in legal fees, a decision was made on July 26, 2006, that the request for a sewer extension to the proposed $100 million Abbey Woods development, a continuing-care retirement community, would not be allowed. Environmentalists and several Morris Township residents had been working against the project that would develop 71 acres (290,000 m²) of zoned land adjacent to the Jockey Hollow Park. Rev. Elias R. Lorenzo commented in The Star-Ledger that "If the development is not passed, we will sell the land to other developers". In 2009, Delbarton sold 188 acres (0.76 km²) of the Abbey Woods to The Trust for Public Land for $13.75 million. While the acquisition was primarily handled by the Trust, ownership will mostly be held by the Morris County Park Commission, with Morris Township receiving 10 acres (40,000 m²).

Headmasters

Notable alumni